A Man of Integrity

By his light I walked through darkness! Job 29:3

I must confess that my reflection time has been nonexistent the past few weeks and my life can tell the tale. I need time alone to study, pray and consider what is going on in my life. I make much better life decisions when I have taken the time to truly contemplate the decisions I must make. My pastor spoke on Job last Sunday and as my ADHD set in, I began to read Job’s story (yes during the sermon) and finished it throughout the week. I have heard this story over and over throughout my life, but Job became more relevant to me as I connected his story to that of my own (in teacher-ease that is called a "text-to-self" connection).

Job fascinates me. I am not sure if this story actually took place, or if it was divinely placed in the Bible to teach us, but that really matters little in the face of the lessons that can be discovered from Job’s life. Here is a man who endured more than his share of adversity. His family, livelihood, home, friends and life in general were stripped from him, yet he kept his faith. Now, he didn’t go into the night singing glorious hymns of praise for the life he was dealt. No, he anguished in his situation, cried out to God and was obviously in deep pain. I can relate.

We are most often fascinated by the fact that Job was faithful to God throughout his tormented life, but I find something more to admire within the character of Job. I find his integrity to be his most admirable quality. Job is real. He isn’t a Bible superhero, but a man. He got upset with God, he questioned “why”, he struggled and wept, but his integrity remain in tact-even when others thought sin was the reason for his suffering. When the rubber hit the road—it was obvious that Job was a man of principle and courage.

I am careful about what I ask for anymore. I want the integrity of Job, but have already endured my limit of hardship in order to obrain such an attribute, so I am reluctant to ask for it. Instead, I will use Job as a gauge and begin to work my way to that place of respectability. One thing I can say along with Job is that “by HIS light I walked through darkness.” I guess this is a start.

The most inspiring part of Job’s story comes at the end. He was rewarded for his faithfulness and resoluteness. In the 42^nd chapter, verse 12 it reads that “the Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.” I could only be so fortunate. This is a promise I can hold on to.

This I know for sure.